Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Photo: Will Waldron

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Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Photo: Will Waldron

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Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Photo: Will Waldron

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Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Work continues on the Route 9P bridge at Saratoga Lake, Monday October 11, 2010. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Photo: PHILIP KAMRASS

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Seeking a way forward

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Carl Paladino would chop tolls on downstate bridges and cut the state gasoline tax.

Andrew Cuomo would establish a state infrastructure bank that would fund such initiatives as high-speed rail.

Both candidates talk about wringing waste and inefficiency out of various agencies that oversee the state's infrastructure, while Cuomo also says the state needs to do a better job of securing available federal transportation dollars.

Given their respective stances, it may be no surprise that the Associated General Contractors of New York State -- representing major builders of bridges, highways and other critical infrastructure -- are spending their time meeting with Cuomo.

"I don't see any scenario where (Paladino) wins," said Steve Stallmer, the AGC's vice president for government and public affairs.

New York's infrastructure is, by many accounts, in poor shape. While some elements, including the nation's antiquated air traffic control system, may be beyond the scope of state government, even here candidate Cuomo thinks it can be effective.

He would seek expanded service at Newburgh's Stewart International Airport to relieve congestion at New York City's three major airports. That could also ease flight delays in such places as Albany, where it's not uncommon for passengers to face reroutings around the New York metropolitan area.

High-speed rail is another issue that Cuomo, at least, has embraced.

In his policy statements, he has called it "an example of the type of infrastructure that could be transformative for New York," but said the state came up short in a recent round of federal funding because it "ostensibly" wasn't prepared.

Bruce Becker, president of the Empire State Passengers Association, a rail advocacy group, welcomed Cuomo's support for high-speed rail. Given the difficult economy, he added, the support was especially significant. The passengers' group hasn't yet heard from Paladino.

"We continue to endeavor to make contact with the Paladino campaign" to get a statement on his stand on public transportation and passenger rail, Becker said Monday afternoon, but the group so far hasn't been successful.

And while Paladino didn't immediately respond Monday to a Times Union request for comment on mass transit, an online site, Streetsblog.org, has accused him of anti-transit rhetoric.

Cuomo, meanwhile, has expressed support for the proposed rail tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New York and New Jersey, saying he wants it to go forward. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie last week canceled the project, saying New Jersey couldn't afford the likely cost overruns.

Paladino's plan to cut the gas tax concerns Stallmer's group.

"Of the funding for infrastructure, about three-quarters is derived from the gas tax," the contractors' official said.

Still, cutting the state's debt is something that Paladino and the contractors both support.

"The debt service on infrastructure spending is more than what you spend to build things," Stallmer said.

Paladino's anti-toll stance is nothing new. He led an effort to remove tolls from Interstate 190 in Buffalo several years ago. Today, he says, area residents save millions of dollars a year in tolls.

While Paladino's campaign has been mum on most infrastructure issues, he's quite familiar with one of the oldest still-functioning public works projects in upstate New York.

As part of his primary campaign, the Buffalo businessman last May journeyed by boat from Albany to Buffalo on the Erie Canal, which still gets wide use from recreational boaters.

The canal first opened in 1825, and was hailed as an engineering marvel.